Olivia Munn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Olivia Munn
Munn in 2018
Born	Lisa Olivia Munn (1980-07-03) July 3, 1980 (age 44) Oklahoma City, U.S.
Education	University of Oklahoma (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	John Mulaney ​ (m. 2024)​
Children	2

Lisa Olivia Munn (born July 3, 1980) is an American actress. She started her career as a TV host for the gaming network G4, especially on the show Attack of the Show! from 2006 to 2010. She was also a reporter for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 2010 to 2011.

Olivia Munn is well-known for playing Sloan Sabbith in the HBO drama series The Newsroom (2012–2014). She has also appeared in movies like Magic Mike (2012), Deliver Us from Evil (2014), and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), where she played Psylocke. In 2017, she voiced Koko in The Lego Ninjago Movie. In 2018, she had a main role in the science fiction film The Predator.

Early Life and Education

Olivia Munn was born on July 3, 1980, in Oklahoma City. Her mother, Kimberly Schmid, came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam in 1975. Her father, Winston Munn, has German, Irish, and English family roots. Olivia has a younger brother, John, and an older brother, James. She also has two older sisters, Annie and Sara.

When Olivia was two, her parents divorced. Her mother later married a member of the United States Air Force. Her family moved to Utah and then to Yokota Air Base in Japan, where Olivia spent many of her growing-up years.

At 16, Olivia and her family moved back to Oklahoma City. She finished high school at Putnam City North High School. Later, she went to the University of Oklahoma. There, she earned a degree in journalism and also studied Japanese and dramatic arts.

Career Beginnings and TV Hosting

Munn at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo

Before moving to Los Angeles, Olivia Munn worked as an intern at a TV station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2004, she interned at Fox Sports Networks. She worked as a reporter for college football and women's basketball games. However, she found this job uncomfortable because she felt she was trying to be someone she wasn't.

Soon after, she moved to Los Angeles. She got a small part in a horror film called Scarecrow Gone Wild. She also appeared in a music video for the band Zebrahead.

In late 2005, Munn began acting in the TV drama Beyond the Break. She played a teen surfer named Mily Acuna for two seasons. Olivia enjoys surfing and still does it today.

In 2006, Olivia Munn became a co-host for the popular G4 network show Attack of the Show!. She hosted with Kevin Pereira and stayed on the show until December 2010. Even though she said video games were her "weak point," she was confident in her technical knowledge. While on G4, she also hosted Formula D, a show about drift racing, and an online podcast.

Breakthrough in Acting

Munn at the 2013 Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards

In 2010, Olivia Munn had roles in the films Date Night and Iron Man 2. Actor Robert Downey Jr. praised her for her ability to improvise lines.

From 2010 to 2011, Munn worked as a reporter on Comedy Central's The Daily Show. She was known for a segment called "Tiger Mothering," where she joked about the high expectations of Chinese mothers. She even interviewed her own mother for the segment. She returned briefly for host Jon Stewart's last show in 2015.

In 2012, Olivia Munn got a major role in Aaron Sorkin's drama series The Newsroom on HBO. She played Sloan Sabbith, an economist who worked for a fictional news network. The show ran for three seasons until 2015.

Munn also appeared in the documentary series Years of Living Dangerously in 2014. In one episode, she interviewed Washington State Governor Jay Inslee about his efforts to reduce pollution.

Recent Projects and Activism

From 2015 to 2018, Olivia Munn voiced Captain Phoebe Liang Callisto in the Disney Junior animated series Miles from Tomorrowland. In 2016, she played Psylocke in X-Men: Apocalypse. This movie was a big success, earning over $500 million worldwide. That same year, she also starred in the comedy film Office Christmas Party.

She had a main role in the TV series Six as a CIA agent. In 2018, she was a guest judge on America's Got Talent. She also starred as a biologist in the science fiction horror film The Predator.

More recently, Munn starred in the Netflix romantic comedy Love Wedding Repeat (2020) and the film The Gateway (2021). From 2021 to 2024, she voiced the character Akiko Yokohama / Lady Bullseye II in the animated series Hit-Monkey.

Activism and Charity Work

Munn with Deliver Us from Evil co-star Joel McHale at the 2014 WonderCon

Olivia Munn has used her voice to support various causes. In 2011, she worked with Dosomething.org for their Green Your School Challenge, encouraging students to make their schools more eco-friendly.

She has also helped PETA with campaigns, including one that helped free an ill elephant from a circus. Her online writings encouraged people to contact the government to help the elephant. In 2013, she spoke out against cruelty to animals on fur farms in China. In 2021, she appeared in the short film Save Ralph, which is about animal testing.

Olivia Munn has also spoken out against anti-Asian hate and attacks, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. She participated in discussions with organizations like Stop AAPI Hate to raise awareness about these issues.

Personal Life

Olivia Munn is a black belt in taekwondo.

In 2021, she began a relationship with comedian John Mulaney. Their son was born in November 2021. His middle name, Hiệp, honors Olivia's Chinese-Vietnamese heritage. Olivia and John married in July 2024. Their second child, a daughter, was born in September 2024.

In March 2024, Olivia Munn shared that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer the previous year. She had four surgeries, including a double mastectomy. She said the cancer was "aggressive" but was found early enough for her to have treatment options.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

See also

In Spanish: Olivia Munn para niños